COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – South Dakota Mines Volleyball moved to 6-2 following a 3-1 weekend at the Mountain Lion Classic.
Match 1: Hardrockers 3, Mountain Lions 0
The Hardrockers took the first set 25-17. With an early 8-2 advantage, UCCS came back and made the score 10-9. However, with a 14-13 lead, the Hardrockers went on a 11-4 run to win the set 25-17. The Rockers had seven kills in that run.
South Dakota Mines won the next set 25-23 to go up 2-0 in the match. Late in the set, UCCS jumped out to a 22-17 lead. However, the Hardrockers ended the set on an 8-1 run to win 25-23. South Dakota Mines' last five kills were kills.
In the third, the Rockers put away UCCS 25-19 to win 3-0. They went out to a 9-1 lead to begin the set. That lead carried the Hardrockers to a 25-19 victory.
Ivy Vindivich led the team with 13 kills along with 13 digs.
Cate Warren totaled 11 kills and
Brylin Gomer recorded six.
Maria Bouman had three blocks and
Campbell Sheffield picked up 14 digs.
Emily Henderson put up a double-double with 19 assists and 12 digs.
The Rockers hit for .246 with 47 kills and 61 digs.
Match 2: Hardrockers 3, Huskies 2
In the second match of the day on Friday, South Dakota Mines and Michigan Tech went back-and-forth, with the Hardrockers winning 3-2.
The Rockers took the first set 25-22 over Michigan Tech. The Huskies went out to a 13-7 lead before the Hardrockers went on a run to tie the set at 13-13. With a 20-22 deficit, the Hardrockers went on a five-point run to win the set 25-22.
South Dakota Mines lost both the second and third set before tying the match with their 25-20 set four win. Both the Rockers and Huskies traded points until the Hardrockers took their biggest lead of the set, a 17-14 advantage. A 5-1 run at the end of the set tied the match at 2-2 with their 25-20 set win.
In the tightly-contested fifth set, the Hardrockers won 17-15, giving them a 3-2 match victory. South Dakota Mines went out to a 5-3 lead before the Huskies responded to take a 14-10 lead. Three kills and one block, all on the Huskies match point, would deadlock the teams at 14-14. Michigan Tech picked up a kill, but the Rockers recorded two kills and Michigan Tech would put up an attacking error to give the Hardrockers the 17-15 win.
Warren collected 21 kills with a .319 hitting percentage. Glendenning hit for .419 with 20 kills. Vindivich picked up another double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs. Both
Allison Nowak and Sheffield had 14 digs for the Hardrockers. Henderson tallied 36 assists. Bouman picked up five blocks, while Gomer and
Grace Mak both recorded three.
In total, the Hardrockers had 73 kills and nine blocks. They also put up 64 assists and 67 digs.
Match 3: Hardrockers 1, Hilltoppers 3
South Dakota Mines lost their lone match of the season against St. Edward's on Saturday morning.
Following a 29-27 set one win for St. Edward's the Rockers took set two 25-17. The Hilltoppers would go on to win 25-20 in the third and 25-22 in the fourth set.
For the Hardrockers, Warren tallied 14 kills, while Glendenning picked up 13. Mak had nine blocks and four kills. Warren also put up five blocks. Henderson recorded a double-double after totaling 22 assists and 13 digs.
While the Rockers had nine more blocks than the Hilltoppers, St. Edward's put up 62 kills against 47 for the Hardrockers.
Match 4: Hardrockers 3, Mustangs 2
To conclude the weekend, South Dakota Mines defeated Midwestern State 3-2 to improve their record to 6-2.
Following a Mustangs 25-23 set one win, the Rockers responded with a 25-20 second set victory. Both teams traded runs for the first half of the set. The Hardrockers picked up a 6-2 run to go up 21-17 late. That lead carried them to a set two win, tying the match at 1-1.
Midwestern State won the third set 26-24. However, the Hardrockers answered again, this time with a 25-19 set four win. As both teams were tied 6-6, the Rockers went on a 6-1 run to lead 13-7. They ended the set with a 6-2 run to tie the match again at 2-2.
The Hardrockers took the fifth set 15-10, winning the match 3-2. In a set where a team must start hot, the Rockers went out to a 7-2 lead in the set. The Mustangs could not respond as
Joy Aburto ended the match with a kill.
Glendenning hit for .476 and totaled 21 kills. Vindivich and Bouman were both second with 14 kills. Bouman hit for .609 with five blocks and three aces. Mak put up four blocks for the Rockers, while Henderson recorded second double-double of the weekend with 28 assists and 16 digs.
South Dakota Mines had a hitting percentage of .309 with 70 kills and nine blocks. They also put up eight aces and 58 digs.
"This team has so much to be proud of after a great weekend in Colorado," head coach
Lauren Prochazka said. "They played for one another, and it was so fun to watch them be selfless and put on a show for each other. The way we continue to face challenges head on is something exciting to lean on as we head into conference play."
What's Next
The 6-2 Rockers start RMAC play on Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. against Western Colorado at the King Center. They will take on Fort Lewis at home on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. before a three-game road trip.
